Differences in the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes in humans in relation to consumption of fried carbohydrate-rich food

The aim of this study was to investigate if consumption of ordinary carbohydrate-rich food prepared in different ways has an impact on chromosome stability, i.e., on the formation of micronucleated young erythrocytes in humans. Twenty-four persons, divided into two groups, participated during 4 days in a semi-controlled food-consumption study. One group (low-heated-food-group, LowHF-group) consumed only food boiled in water (max 100 degrees C) and the other group (high-heated-food-group, HighHF-group) consumed preferentially strongly heated (fried) food. From each of the subjects, blood samples were drawn, before and after 4 days. The frequency (f) of micronucleated (MN) very young erythrocytes (transferrin-positive reticulocytes, Trf-Ret), fMNTrf-Ret, was determined, and the difference in the frequency, before and after the eating period, was calculated. The obtained mean differences for the two groups were compared. As an indicator of highly heated food the acrylamide (AA) content in part of the consumed foodstuffs was analysed by use of LC/MS-MS and the AA intake estimated. In the blood samples the hemoglobin-adduct levels from AA were analysed as a measure of the internal AA dose. The differences between the mean fMNTrf-Ret, before and after the eating period, were -0.15 per thousand for the LowHF-group and +0.17 per thousand for the HighHF-group, p<0.005 (t-test, one-tailed). The mean total AA intake in the HighHF-group during 4 days was estimated to about 3000+/-450microg per person. For the LowHF-group, the mean AA intake was low, 20+/-10microg per person. The lowest dose of AA that caused a significant increase of micronucleated erythrocytes in mice is more than a hundred times higher than the AA level in this study. Thus, it is unlikely that the exposure to AA is the major cause behind the observed difference. The answer is probably to be found in other compounds produced at the same time during heating of the food.